


Twisted Time

by whiteraven1606



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Character Death Fix, Fix-It, M/M, Time Travel, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-17
Updated: 2011-07-17
Packaged: 2017-10-21 12:05:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/224988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Data sacrifices himself to save the <i>Enterprise-E</i> he ends up thrown through time to land in a meadow 5,000 years or so in the past. Now it is up to Zar to talk the Guardian of Forever into getting Data home again, but the Guardian seems to be on the fritz and doesn't land them where or when they expected. With Data having power surges and Zar struggling to keep them moving, the Guardian of Forever sets in motion events to help his favorite being's existence, but will it mean the destruction of the future?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twisted Time

**Author's Note:**

> Art for this: [Illustration](http://pics.livejournal.com/yawmin/pic/000z1xb3) by the wonderful [Yawmin](http://http://yawmin.livejournal.com/)
> 
> There will be a fanmix added soon. :)

****

There were a few days that Zar wished he'd never actually met his father. This was shaping up to be one of those. He followed the messenger towards the outskirts of his small, but growing city. They were headed towards the meadow where the Guardian of Forever had dropped him when moving him from his father's time to now.

He stopped short at the edge of the meadow and stared. There were bits of, well, he thought maybe a ship. Stepping closer he absently stomped out a small smoldering area and moved deeper into the wreckage. Near the middle was a body. Zar knelt down beside it and carefully turned it over. The uniform was vaguely like his father's, but a different cut and color. The emblem of Starfleet was there on the chest, though the fabric near it was torn.

The body wasn't quite right, where the skin was torn there was no blood and underneath was metal gleaming. Zar gently poked at the tear across the man's forehead and jerked back as his eyes popped open.

"I should have exploded."

Zar gestured around them. "I think you might have." The man blinked several times and Zar cocked his head. "Are you Starfleet?"

"Yes, I am Commander Data of the _USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E_."

"E?" Zar steadied Data as he stood up. "They start lettering them?"

Data turned towards the city and stopped. "Captain Picard has told me that the effort to keep the name Enterprise in service is in part due to a desire to honor those that severed on the original ship."

"Alright." Zar followed Data to the edge of the meadow.

"May I inquire as to my current location?"

"I think what is more important is your current time." Zar sat down on a large rock and Data watched him for several moments before sitting down as well. "You've been thrown into the past."

Data's head titled and it reminded Zar of the birds in one of Jim's vids.

Zar explained about the Guardian of Forever and how he'd come home again after the second visit to his father's time.

"Ambassador Spock is not on record as having any living children."

 _Ambassador? That must have made Sarek pleased._ Zar steepled his fingers. "The record would be correct since by that time I would be deceased."

Data appeared to agree as he didn't say anything more as he looked around them. "Do you have a way to speak to the Guardian of Forever so that I may return to my proper time?"

Zar didn't really, but that hadn't stopped him before.

****

It took three days of standing in the cleared meadow talking to the air for Zar to get a response. Data was looking worse as he had a leak they couldn't stop and was having small power shortages and surges that he couldn't fix without the proper tools. He was propped against their sitting rock and was currently conserving energy, which meant he looked dead. Zar had taken to ignoring him completely when he did that so it would bother him less that Data wasn't even simulating breathing.

The booming voice of the Guardian was startling when it finally came. Zar asked for them to be taken to Data's time, the stardate sounding strange to his own ears as he rattled it off. Pulling Data up and leading him because he didn't appear to be tracking quite right, Zar stepped them into the future.

And froze as a barrel of a stun gun was being pointed at them. Zar looked around as they waited for someone with a higher rank to be summoned. It looked like the _Enterprise_ he'd been on last time. Hoping they were far enough forward to be past when Spock had first found out about him, Zar politely asked if they would let him set Data down. Narrowed eyes and a short, curt nod was the only response so Zar eased Data to the floor. Sitting down next to him, Zar tried to remember what his father’s time thought of androids. He could remember there hadn't been any on board, but he hadn't really paid much attention beyond the ship and things about Vulcan.

The uniforms were a little different than he remembered. Zar was about to ask for the stardate when Jim strode into the room. Zar stood and smiled as Jim recognized him. "Hello, Jim."

"Zar?" Jim's smile was brittle and Zar wondered what had happened. "How did you get here? Who's this?"

Wanting to ask about Jim's life and deciding to wait on that, Zar quickly explained about Data's sudden appearance and asking to get him home. "Do you think Scotty could patch him up?"

Jim shook his head. "Scotty isn't in here. I don't think at least." Jim kept reaching out towards him and then stopping himself. "You're probably just a figment of my imagination."

Zar didn't like the sound of that. "Jim? Where are we?"

Jim didn't seem to be listening as he wondered away from them. Swearing silently, Zar kept a hold of Data as he tried to keep Jim in sight.

"Jim?"

"I think I'm dead. Only maybe not because I still hear Spock sometimes." Jim touched the bulkhead near him and Zar stared at the difference in the walls on either side of the bulkhead.

Zar started to ask, but Jim turned back towards them so he just stood still with Data slumped at his feet.

"See? The orginal and the second one can't be fused together. I killed the _Enterpise_ myself." Jim looked down the hallway. "I had a nice cabin and family a little while ago." He looked back towards Zar. "Or maybe it was the other cabin. I'm not sure anymore."

The short hairs on the back of Zar's neck prickled. "Jim, how old are you?"

Jim laughed and slid down the bulkhead to sit on the floor. "I don't remember. I was doing something to keep the new _Enterprise_ from being destroyed and the next thing I remember is dying to save another _Enterpise_. Then I'm in here." Jim blinked up at him. "I want to go home, Zar."

He nodded because he didn't know what else to do. "I know, Jim." Dragging Data over to Jim, Zar got them settled beside Jim against the bulkhead. "You said you can hear Father?"

"Sometimes he's in the back of my head, I think." Jim closed his eyes. "He was, or maybe I should say is, looking for me. I can't be sure. He always seems worried, but then I usually worry him. He was really sad at some point."

Zar stretched his empathic sense and could feel other people, muted and just as scrambled as Jim. "Where are we?"

Jim rubbed at his temple. "That other Captain said something about the Nexus, but I can't really remember it."

It took some time to get Jim to explain what he could remember about the Nexus. Zar wasn't sure if they were affecting Jim or if it was a side effect of thinking he was dead. Zar left Jim with Data and worked his way back to the room they'd appeared it. Or at least it looked like. Concentrating, Zar focused on getting the Guardian of Forever to hear him.

****

Jim blinked as his world just adburtly shifted and suddenly he was much more certain he was on a spaceship instead of the funny feeling of the Nexus. He checked the android and found him unresponsive. Zar reappeared from around a bend in the hallway. "Zar."

The young man almost smiled in the same way Spock tended towards when he was really happy. "Jim. I think we are somewhere else now."

With a grin, Jim stepped over to a wall panel. "Oh, definitely somewhere else." He flipped a switch and threw his whole ship into an alert as he argued with himself, grinning the whole time.

He was pleased to see that Spock was just behind the security team that came to met them. Smiling wider, Jim threw an arm around the shoulders of Spock, who was young enough to be stiff about it. "Spock! I'm happy to see you, my friend."

Spock deftly maneuvered himself out of Jim's hug. "You believe yourself to be Captain Kirk?"

Jim straightened his spine. "Not your Captain, no."

Behind him Zar snorted softly. "You were never promoted?"

"Oh, I was." Jim turned and jerked his thumb at Spock. "I had to save him, so I sacrificed my ship and ended up demoted back to Captain. Preamently." Jim smiled as the younger him came down the hall, trailing Bones who looked rather unhappy. "Then they gave me the new _Enterprise_. She lasted me quite a while."

The younger Jim stared at him and Jim just kept smiling. Bones pushed past Spock and slid right into Jim's personal space. "Jim?" Bones peered at him through narrowed eyes.

"Bones." Jim grabbed him up into a bearhug. "It is good to see you."

"I really expected to be dead."

Jim looked up to see that the younger him was standing there looking like he'd been gut punched. "Well, you aren't far off." Jim patted Bones on the shoulder as he started to try to do a physical in the middle of the corridor.

"Could we get Data to Scotty, please?"

Jim watched them all focus on Zar. He looked at himself again and then it became apparent they were going to have trouble. "Do you have an Ensign Rizzo? Bones poked at Jim's side and made him grunt. "Dammnit, Bones."

"You need to come to Sickbay. I don't like these readings and your ribs feel like they've been crushed recently. Come on, you can harass Jim with questions while I scan you."

****

Zar sat beside the biobed holding Data and waited as he listened to Bones complain to the older Captain about his health. His father stood quietly with his hands clasped behind his back as he listened to both Jims talk to each other.

Scotty appeared and looked Data over carefully with Spock at his shoulder. "I donna know what ta do for him." Scotty poked at the spot where Data was sluggishly leaking. "With a sample of this maybe I can make him more."

Spock produced a glass tube from his person and handed it over to Scotty. "Endeavor to collect enough of the substance to allow for several tests."

"Aye." Scotty set about prying back Data's skin to get at the leak.

Turning towards Zar, Spock titled his head slightly. "May I inquire as to your identity? The elder version of the Captain has avoided so much as naming you." Spock swept his gaze to Data and back again. "Your companion is comprised of a level of technology that is too advanced for this time."

Zar took a deep breathe to give himself a moment more to think. "My personal timeline is very complicated. Data is a Starfleet officer from the future. I'm trying to get him home." He could see his father wanting to ask more pointed questions. "If I tell you who I am it may affect the integrity of the timeline."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "The ship became trapped in a space anomaly 1.4 Standard days before your appearance aboard. Time appears to be unreliable within the range of the anomaly."

"Ah." Zar tucked his hair behind his ears so the pointed tips showed. "I'm part Vulcan. My name is Zar." He could feel a surge of emotion flit across his shields. "Before you ask, yes, we are related. And no, I don't think I should tell you how."

With a nod, Spock turned his attention back to the arguing of Bones and both versions of Jim.

****

It took them two hours to decide that there was nothing they could do for Data. Zar was standing on the observation deck watching the bands of color from the anomaly twist and turn when Spock found him.

"We have done everything possible for the android. I calculate that he will cease to be functional within 3.4 days."

Zar nodded. "That matches my calculations. Thank you for attempting to help him."

Spock moved to stand beside him and they gazed out at the anomaly. "We have met in the future."

He answered the statement as though it had been a question. "Yes."

"I do not remember having met you prior to that date?"

"You did not. You appeared to have not known of my existence before coming to my normal time to as Jim once termed it to 'rescue' me." Zar let his amusement at that show. "I didn't need rescued."

"Indeed. You appear to be quite formidable."

"Thank you." Zar had to force himself not to call Spock father at that moment.

They stood side by side until Spock excused himself for a meeting with the Captain.

Zar waited until Spock had been gone for several minutes before going to the Science Department. Talking them into allowing him a console was easier than he had thought it would be. He checked the findings on Data and then on the space anomaly they were caught in. It appeared to be the one that his father had used to show him a time formula that Spock had developed, but had never tested. The one that had put the _Enterprise_ out of communication range for four days and when they'd reappeared they'd had no memory of the events of those four days.

It gave Zar hope. The ship had been in the anomaly for a day and a half by the time they'd appeared on board. There was a small dense sun near them that was within the anomaly as well. Zar hurried off to find the older Jim.

****

Captain Kirk wasn't certain why he was having to put up with himself. He would have thought that Spock would suggest they stay apart for fear of the timeline ripping apart or something. As it was, Spock was avoiding them and the sort-of-a-Vulcan Zar kept smiling, just a small smile, at him. It was starting to bother him because he wasn't used to seeing Spock's near smile on the face of a stranger, even one that looked like he was Spock's kid, only more prone to displays of emoition.

The older version of himself laughed when he'd brought it up. "Zar? You think Zar is Spock's kid?" Then he'd clapped Kirk on the shoulder. "Come on, I'm hungry."

It wasn't like Kirk couldn't see it. Zar was careful around Spock in a way he wasn't anywhere else. He'd even see the young man have to reorder food in the mess because he'd started to order meat. And it didn't take a genius to see the other him giving Spock concered looks whenever Zar displayed emotion.

He watched his First Officer settle into the chair across the chess board from him. "Evening, Spock."

The other him waved from Kirk's bed. "Hey, Spock."

"Jim." Spock tipped his head towards Kirk and then turned to the older Jim. "Captain Kirk."

The other him sat up with a small grunt, it looked like it was hell to get old. "Please, Spock, just call me James. I hate hearing my rank roll off your tongue unless you are threatening someone for having detained me for no apparent reason."

"Very well. Although there normally is apparent reason, James."

"Sure. Whatever you say, Spock."

He couldn't help but grin along with his older version as Spock pretended to be offended. He thought it might even turn out to be fun to have someone to help him needle Spock that wouldn't turn and gang up on him like Bones sometimes did.

They were partway through a challanging game of chess when his door sounded the arrival of a visitor.

"Enter."

Zar came in and with a quick glance around he focused on the old him. "I think I know how to get Data to his own time."

Spock turned in his seat and Kirk watched the other version of him raise his eyebrows.

"How?"

"Father's slingshot formula."

Spock glanced at him and Kirk shrugged slightly as the other him snapped his head up to stare at Zar.

"You do know that Spock thought that had a rather high probablity of tearing us apart when we first tried it."

Zar nodded. "The Guardian of Forever likes to show me bits of Father's life. I saw."

"I sometimes think the only reason it worked that first time was because of the shape of the Klingon ship and Scotty not knowing what he was doing to the sheilds with Spock's equations."

Zar tucked his hair behind one ear. "Do you remember the equations?"

"We can't give them to Spock before he invites them, Zar."

"He won't remember later. The whole ship loses four days of time and Starfleet never figures out why."

Kirk leaned back in his chair as he watched the older him think. Spock eased the rook he'd been moving when Zar had arrived down to the chess board.

"Oh, I remember that. We were stuck at a Starbase for a week while they tried to decide if we were still us. It was boring."

Spock stood and ushered Zar out without even a farewell.

Kirk turned to the older him. "You think Spock really didn't know that Zar is his kid?"

"The whole thing with Zar is complicated. It didn't help that Spock was prepared to rescue a small child and his mother and got a rebellious teenage boy with no mother."

He could see it in the way Zar handled himself with the rest of the crew when Spock wasn't present versus when he was there. "Bad?"

Jim laid back down on Kirk's bed. "I wanted to lock them in a supply room and wait it out. As it was I tried to keep Zar from offending Spock too much and talked to Spock about how hard he was being on the boy."

"He seems to have turned out okay."

"Yeah, well, that mostly wasn't anything we did." The elder man scrubbed a hand cross his face. "Don't hesiate to sacrifiace the ship for your crew."

He knew that he would, so that statement meant something more. "Who do I sacrifiace it for?"

Jim rolled onto his side and watched him put the chess board away. "The most imoportant people you have."

Nodding, because he'd thought that would be the given answer, Kirk stood watching the older version wallow in his sheets. "You have guest quarters, you know."

"They don't feel like home. This feels like it though. I missed it."

He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Since I won't remember it later, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, kid."

Rolling his eyes because he knows his older self knew how much that nickname wasn't liked, Kirk twisted so he was facing the older him. "Do you ever forget their names?"

In answer, Jim named off each of the people that had died under his command. Kirk let it wash over him and quit comparing the list in his head to Jim's after a few names. When Jim reached Spock's name he stumbled over the actual prounication of Spock’s full name, but did a much better job than Kirk's own first try. _Must have practiced for the memorial service_ , he thought.

The list kept going and finally Jim wound down with the uncertain fate of those he'd been trying to save when he'd been lost to some huge thing he called the Nexus. It sounded like something Kirk wished he could avoid.

****

Zar sat back and listened to the agruing as the meeting wore on. He watched the younger version of Jim glance at the older version every little while. Zar could understand. Jim’s manic grin hadn’t abated and it was starting to wear on the crew. Every time Scotty threw up his hands and yelled that it was impossible, the older Kirk just grinned wider.

Finally Spock cut through the agruing with a question. “You have done this before, Captain James?

The older Jim lifted his chin slightly, blinked, and the grin faded some. “Too many times.”

“Did any of those attempts involve the _Enterprise_?” Spock clasped his hands together on top of the table.

Leaning back, Jim put his elbow on the armrest and brought his hand up to his chin. “I take you still have Lt. Tormolen aboard.” He smiled as the crew nodded. “Well, then you can’t have known yet, but yes, we do time travel.”

Zar slipped from the room as the older Kirk eased them into the idea that they could hurl the ship into the future. He avoided the crew as he made his way to Sickbay. Data was laid out on a biobed with the alarms silenced.

He looked dead dispite Scotty and his section trying to repair him. Zar frowned and settled on the edge of the chair next to the bed. “I will get you home. Even if it is too late to help. You didn’t even tell me if a complete shut down kills you or not.”

“The switch for a shutdown sequence was removed by Geordi. He insists that we are friends.” Data blinked twice and Zar could hear something grind as Data turned his head towards him. “I would like to return to my friend now.”

Zar touched Data’s shoulder. “I have no idea if you are processing or not because you seem slower than the last time you were talking, but in the event you can still understand...” Zar leaned closer. “You will go home. Soon. I promise.”

There was a whisper of emotion behind him and Zar sat up and turned. Spock was standing near the doorway. “Are you certain he understands a promise?”

“I can’t be certain he understands anything right now, but I do know that I understand a promise.”

Spock seemed to loosen, but he did it without moving. “Has my future self somehow harmed or offended you?”

“No.” Zar’s eyebrows drew together. “Why are you asking such a thing?”

“You appear to tense at the knowledge of my presenece when I am in the same room as you yourself are.”

Zar didn’t know what to say, so he shrugged and watched the corner of Spock’s mouth turn down every so slightly. For a moment it felt liked he’d never disappointed his father more.

****

The slingshot didn’t break apart the ship like Scotty had exepected, but it didn’t land them in right time for Data either. Instead they nearly collided with a shuttle as they came out of the slingshot maneuver.

They barely managed to avoid a collision and communications with the shuttle were very chaotic until a strong female voice came on and demanded to know why they were out of place.

Spock jerked and turned towards the viewscreen. “Mother?”

“What exactly were you thinking, Spock? You know better than...” She trailed off and cocked her head. “Ooooh. You’re too young.” She looked around the bridge and focused on the older Kirk. “What happened to you, Jim? Spock was extremely upset by your apparent demise.”

The elder Kirk sheepishly ginned and ducked his head slightly. “I died. Sort of.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I do believe that requires an explanation. Captain Kirk, may I come aboard?”

The younger Jim smiled. “Of course, ma’am.”

****

Zar smiled as Amanda grabbed the older Jim into a hug the moment the transporter was finished.

Jim pulled away after several long moments and smiled at Amanda. “I’d like to introduce you to someone.” He turned them towards Zar.

Finding himself suddenly nervous, Zar tried to keep from fidgeting. He didn’t want to disappoint her.

“This is Zar.”

Amanda gasped as she lifted her hand to her mouth. “Oh!” She reached a thin hand towards him. “I’ve heard so much about you.” She stepped forward and Zar swayed towards her as she gently touched his cheek. “You certainly look like Spock.” She flipped his hair over his shoulder. “With longer hair.”

Zar snorted and broke, pulling Amanda into a hug. “I wanted to met you.”

She patted his shoulder as he squeezed her, probably too tight. “Well, you have met me now.” She pushed him gently back and turned towards the older Kirk. She smacked his chest. “And you! Spock watched that stupid Nexus for a long as it stayed visible determined to get you back out of it. He wouldn’t accept that you’d died.”

Jim pulled Amanda into a hug. “I had to save the ship’s crew and the people that had been rescued. He would have done the same if he’d been there.” He let her go and stepped back. “She was an _Enterpise_ and I didn’t want to see her die so soon.”

“Of course you did. And, yes, he would have.” Amanda looked past them to the younger Kirk and Spock standing together. “When are you from? I don’t want to hurt the timeline with something you shouldn’t know yet.” She glanced at Jim. “Although, I suppose you’ve heard too much already.”

“Indeed not, Mother.” Spock stepped forward and accepted a hug. He gently pulled away and explained when they were from.

Amanda thought for a moment. “Yes, I remember you speaking about that once you’d retired from Starfleet.” She patted his arm. “You were so careful to not mention things that you thought would scare me.”

Moving to distract her, the younger Kirk led her on a tour of the ship. Zar watched her gracefully take Kirk’s arm as they exited the transporter room.

“She was needling you wasn’t she?”

Spock glanced at Zar from the corner of his eye before starting for the door. “She calls it ‘glight tripping’ and insists it is a time honored tradition of human mothers.”

“Ah.” Zar ignored Jim’s snort and followed his father out into the hallway. As the door whooshed closed behind him, he certainly didn’t hear laughter.

****

They tried another slingshot manuover later that afternoon with Scotty worrying the entire time. Zar watched the forward veiwscreen resolve into an odd swirling pattern that didn’t look good at all. A pluse of color zipped across the screen.

The ship shuddered and alarms started blaring. Zar kept a hand on Jim’s arm to keep him from following his younger self off the bridge. Instead he waited for three minutes and then pulled Jim along with him to Sickbay.

The young woman on the biobed looked bewildered and she wasn’t human. Zar blinked as her emotional signature muted. She blinked blankly at them as Bones tried to get her to focus on him.

Then suddenly she shook her head hard and leaned away from Bones. “You don’t have The Doctor, do you?”

Zar eased forward and caught her eye. “Dr. McCoy is a doctor.”

She touched her temple and slid off the bed until her feet touched the deck. “Not the doctor I meant.” She smiled as she rubbed her fingertips across the biobed’s light sheet. “Physical sensations are so fleeting. I missed them.”

Jim stepped forward and settled on the end of the biobed. “You weren’t corporal?”

“No. I had...Well, it doesn’t matter now. I would like to know if _Voyager_ got home or not.”

Jim jerked like he’d been shot and Zar tried to figure out what all the sudden overwhelming emotions were caused by. The girl shook her head and patted Jim’s hand.

“No, no. A starship named _Voyager_ , not whatever you’re thinking. I had just pushed them as far towards home as I could when I was pulled towards this ship.” She gestured to Bones. “You act like The Doctor, but you aren’t a holographic projection.”

Jim glanced from Bones back to her. “The ship’s doctor was a holograpihc interface?”

She smiled. “It was a little complicated. I am Kes. Captain Janeway allowed me to join her crew as they were trying to get home.”

****

Zar watched Amanda stare out the observation deck’s windows. “Why did you come with us?”

She sighed. “I’m not entirely sure. I had an urge to stay with the older version of Jim until we can get him to the right time version of Spock.”

“They belong together.”

She smiled. “When did you decide that?”

He smiled. “Sometime between upsetting Father with a hamburger and rescuing Jim.”

“That sounds like a story I would like to hear.” She gestured towards the windows. “Is it actually a wormhole?”

“Father thinks so. The young girl, Kes, that materialized in the cargo bay agrees.”

Amanda nodded. “That ball of light was her?”

“Yes.” Zar turned as the door opened and Jim wondered in. “She seems to be from further forward in time. She doesn’t know Data, but she recognized his uniform as very similar to her ship’s crew.”

Jim settled into a chair next to Amanda. “You can say the ship’s name, Zar.”

“Not if you’re going to flinch every time.”

Amanda raised an eyebrow at them. “What is the name of this ship?” She wrinkled her nose when they told her. “I see why it would be startling.”

Jim snorted. “It sounds like a stupid name, you can admit it.”

She patted his arm. “You just have a bit of pridijusitce because of that incident with the whales.”

Zar drifted closer to the windows as they talked about the whales and Spock’s recovery from dying. There was a shape in the swirling out there. He could almost see it.

****

Kes squealed when the shape resolved itself into a man striding towards the ship. “Oh, no. Not him.” She turned from the viewscreen. “Please don’t let him onboard. He made the Captain so mad last time.”

 _Maybe a tour of the ship was a bad idea._ Captain Kirk exchanged glances with Spock. Bones edged closer to Kes as she backed away from the screen as the man seemed to step right out of it onto his bridge, trailing formal looking robes behind him.

Shooting to his feet, Kirk tried to step between the man and Kes, but he was swept out of the way like he didn’t matter at all.

“What did you do?”

Kes blinked and backed up further towards Bones. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Q.”

Q frowned and looked around the ship. “Well, I wouldn’t have expected you to be able to pull a ship from the past this far into the future, but you obviously did.”

Kirk crowded Bones back as he elbowed his way to Kes’ side. “Who are you? And what are you doing on my ship?”

Q raised his eyebrow and turned to look up at the ceiling of the bridge before turning back and grinning. “I am Q.” He poked Kes in the shoulder with a fingertip. “She’s not supposed to be here.”

The trubolift swished opened and out came Zar, Amanda, and Jim. Q peered around Kirk’s shoulder to look at the newcomers.

“Well, that was unexpected.” Q moved back towards Sulu’s station as he spoke, gesturing in huge flambyount sweeps of his arms. “A time knot. How lovely. All jumbled and...” He pointed at Amanda. “Alive when they shouldn’t be.” He touched his finger to his chin. “Perhaps this is a test. That pesky Captain Picard is always doing something to annoy me.”

Zar stepped up beside Kirk. “You know Captain Picard?”

Q turned and stared at him. “Well, of course. He wouldn’t be where he is today if it weren’t for moui.”

“What about Commander Data?”

Q frowned. “How would you know _Data_?” Q nearly spat the name and he looked around the bridge as though Data was going to jump out from behind a console. “He has no sense of humour. Even after that friend of his tried to change his programing.”

“Data appeared in the meadow where the Guardian of Forever dropped me when I went back after helping Father.”

“That meddling stone donut!” Q pointed at Zar. “He likes you better than any of the Q and no one in the Continuum can talk to him.”

Zar resisted the urge to say that the Guardian just didn’t want to talk to the Q. “I’m just trying to get the Commander home. The Guardian dropped me onto the _Enterprise_ on accident...”

Q snorted and shook his head as he turned away. “No, no, no. That rock donut doesn’t do anything by accident.” He tilted his head. “That annoying little cheat.” Q whipped around and glared at the older version of Jim. “He did it on purpose!”

Kes frowned at Q. “What do you mean?”

With a huff, Q raised his hand. “You’re too young to understand.”

Kes’ hands curled into fists. “I’m four!”

Q looked down his nose at her. “I know.” He cocked his head as Kes started towards him. “Calm down.” Then he snapped his fingers.

****

Molly giggled as Odo glared at Garak. “Daddy will fix it.”

Odo looked down at her. “Yes, I’m sure he will.” He went back to glaring at Garak. “Not speaking to me will not help your arugment with Bashir.”

Garak huffed and slid down the wall behind him to sit beside Molly. “It isn’t an argument.”

Molly smiled up at him as she pulled her stuffed toy closer. “Daddy tells Mommy that you’re friends with Dr. Julian.”

Garak petted Molly’s hair even as he glared up at Odo. “We are friends. Unlike some people that I could name.”

Molly ignored the adults as they kept glaring at each other. She could see a little sparkle of light near the seam where the panel covering her Daddy’s work wires met the rest of the lift. She pulled her head out from under Garak’s hand and slid closer to the light. “Oooh.”

The light was coming from a tiny ship toy. Running lights were blinking and the toy was propped up against the lift wall. It was small enough to for her to hug. Molly carefully picked it up. It must have been lost by someone. Looking it over, Molly tilted it slightly to look at the detail and froze.

“Mr. Odo.” Molly glanced up and found the adults still ignoring her. Looking back the tiny little people were still waving their arms at her. The models of old starships that Jake had didn’t have little people inside of it. Being loud usually got an adult’s attention. “Mr. Odo.”

Odo looked down at her. “Yes?”

Molly held up the little ship, being careful not to tilt it in case the little people didn’t have their own gravity. “Little people.”

“It is just a model.” Odo knelt down and took the model. Molly kept a hand on it to keep him from making it tilt. Odo cocked his head. “When did they start building holos into the these things?”

Molly pulled on the ship a little to get Odo to give it back. “They waved at me.”

Just then the lift door pried open and her Dad looked a little frantic as he stuck his head in.

“Molly!”

She popped up and held out the little ship to him. “Look what I found, Daddy.”

He bit his lip as Worf helped him pry the doors completely open. “Honey, give me that, okay?”

Frowning Molly pulled it back to her chest. “Why? The little people waved at me and I don’t want them hurt.”

“Honey, it isn’t a toy. At least the energy signature says so.”

Molly looked down at the little ship and read the numbers and the name. “Is it really Captain James T. Kirk’s ship?” Dad pulled her out of the lift by her arm and Molly peered at the tiny people.

“Yes, sweetie. Don’t bang them on anything.”

Molly cradled them to her chest and let herself be picked up. Dad still liked to carry her and Mom had said to let him as long as he could. Garak followed them as Odo left Dr. Juilain fuss over the tear in his uniform from the lift’s sudden jerk when it quit working. Molly leaned out so she could see Dr. Julian as her Dad started to walk away. “Remember Mr. Garak is your friend, Dr. Julian!”

Dad laughed quietly as they kept moving, leaving behind the adults as they stared at each other. Molly was surprised when Dad carried her right into the operations center that she wasn’t supposed to go into, ever.

Then she saw Q, who wasn’t to be called Mr because Captain Picard didn’t like him. Mom had said it was because Q wasn’t nice sometimes. He didn’t look happy and the redheaded lady beside him looked really mad.

Molly resettled the _Enterprise_ in her lap as her Dad set her in Captain Sisko’s chair.

“What were you thinking, Q?”

Q shrugged. “What? I didn’t do anything!”

The lady smacked Q upside the back of his head. “Stupid.”

“Hey!” He turned towards her and started to take the ship. Molly gripped it tighter and shook her head at him. “Come on now. It wasn’t supposed to show up here. The Prophets threw me off a little.”

Molly stuck her tongue out at him even though Mom had told her it wasn’t nice. She didn’t feel like being nice to Q. “No. You can’t be mean to the greatest starship Captain.” She tilted her head up to look at Captain Sisko. “Sorry.”

Captain Sisko smiled down at her. “Its alright.”

She dropped her head down to glare at Q. “You have to fix it! Captain Kirk saves Earth and the Federation. You can’t be mean to him or Captain Picard will be mad at you!”

Q scoffed, then stopped. He glanced around, then down at his robes, and finally turned to look at the lady. “Uhm.”

She rolled her eyes and leaned down until her curls were nearly touching the little ship. “Give it here.”

Molly took a deep breathe and stuck out her chin. “No. Finders keepers. That’s what Jake says.” Dad stepped closer to her on the right and Captain Sisko edged closer on her other side. Molly leaned so she could see Q past the lady. “You aren’t powerful enough to fix it are you?”

Q and the lady exchanged looks and Q sighed. “Junior?”

The lady frowned. “Fine, as long as you fix it so I don’t have to speak to that _woman_.”

Q smiled down at Molly and she leaned towards Dad. “Don’t forget you asked for this.” He snapped his fingers and suddenly there were alarms and her Dad pulling her out of the way so Captain Sisko could have his chair.

Odo took her from Dad and they moved to Dr. Julian’s office. Molly kept the ship tucked against herself and as level as she could keep it on the way. The adults left her alone with repeated warnings to stay put until they came back.

Once everyone was gone, Molly left the little ship up so the tiny people were level with her eyes. “It’ll be okay. Q is mean, but Captain Picard never let him hurt us. I used to live on the _Enterprise-D_. That’s Captain Picard’s ship.”

There was a thunk noise and Molly froze.

“I told you this is a bad idea.”

“No one will even notice we’re gone, Itchy.”

“You aren’t supposed to have any powers, Q-ball.”

Molly slid off Dr. Julian’s chair and went to the open office door to peer out. There were two boys near Jake’s age standing in between the biobeds. The human looking one was grinning at the other one.

Molly blinked, gasped, and nearly dropped the _Enterprise_. The boys turned more towards her and she could see the other boy’s implants gleaming in the light. Molly screamed and backed away.

The human boy made hush motions at her. “Calm down. Quit screaming.”

Molly shifted so she could point at the other boy. “Borg!” She kept backing away.

The human glanced at the other boy and then shook his head. “He’s been freed. I promise.” He dropped to his knees a few feet from her. “I’m Junior and this is Icheb.”

Molly quit screaming, but she didn’t come out from the corner she was in. “Go away.”

Junior was staring at the ship. “That’s not good.”

Icheb leaned in from his place near the door. “What is it?”

With a frown, Junior dropped to set on his butt near Molly. “That’s got four different time frames values. And it should be lots, lots heavier.”

Molly’s eyes widen. “Well, don’t make it heavier.”

“I’m not stupid.”

With a snort, Molly pointed at Icheb. “He said you weren’t supposed to be here.”

Junior sighed. “I’m more powerful than anyone in the Continuum. The Q think that they made me human, but I’ve been working on...things.”

“You’ve figured out how to cheat.”

Icheb moved closer and Molly watched him warily. “Q-ball.”

Junior turned his head to look at Icheb. “I don’t want to be an amoeba forever.”

“You just have to show you can be good.”

Molly frowned. “You’re a Q?”

“Yes. Kind of.” Junior bit his lower lip. “Why do you ask?”

She stood up and moved closer to them. “We’ll ask Captain Picard if you are good. He’s the second best starship captain ever.”

“Hmm.” Junior looked to Icheb, who shrugged.

With a kick to Junior’s knee, Molly got their attention again. “You can take us to Captain Picard.”

“I can, but...”

“Now!”

“Okay, okay.” Junior scorched up his eyes. “Annnnd...”

Molly squealed and Captain Picard’s chair toppled over, dumping him into the floor of his ready room. “Captain!”

Captain Picard stared at them and then started frowning. Molly came forward with the _Enterprise_ carefully cradled in her arms.

“Captain, I’m Molly O'Brien...”

“What is going on?” Captain Picard look around at all of them. “Molly was just born last week.”

Molly sighed. Dad had explained time travel to her when she was small. “It isn’t 2373?”

Captain Picard’s eyebrows went up. “No.” He narrowed his eyes at them. “Is this a trick of Q’s?”

Brightening, Molly held out the _Enterprise_ towards him. “Q and the redhead lady were both wanting this, but then I said they had to fix it. They said they needed Junior...” She turned towards the others. “You’re a Q?”

Junior shrugged. “Q squared.”

Picard dropped his face into his hand. “Oh, Mon Dues.”

The ready room door slid open and Worf stood there with his phaser at the ready. “Captain are you well? The computer is reporting intruders in...” He blinked down at them.

Molly waved. “Hi, Mr. Worf.”

Junior leaned towards her. “He’s ugly.”

Molly punched him in the arm and then frowned at him. “Mom says not to hit, but you can’t be mean to my friends.”

Captain Picard stood up and looked down at them. “Ms. O'Brien, please...” He stopped, blinked, and started to back away.

Glancing and Icheb, Molly shot up to her feet. “It’s okay. He’d not connected to the Borg. Junior promised and I told him you’d be able to tell if he was good.”

****

Molly refused to give up the ship even when they were taken to Sickbay. She sat on the edge of a biobed and watched her Mom sleep with a tiny bundle next to her biobed in a little cradle. “Mom’s ear infection, right?”

Dr. Crusher glanced over at Mom. “Yes, your Mother has an ear infection.” She touched the upper curve of the little ship. “Why are you so careful with this?”

“Can you run the scanner over it?” Molly pushed her hand off the ship. “Q said it is the actual _Enterprise_.”

“Oh.” Dr. Crusher hurried away and Molly watched her go.

Junior slid off of his biobed and pulled on Icheb’s arm until he came along too.

“Come on, kid.”

Molly bristled and pulled her legs up to cradle the ship. “Don’t call me that.”

“Please, okay? I’ll even say pretty please if that’ll help. We have to go.” Junior shook Icheb’s arm a little where he was holding it. “They’ll never trust us. I...I didn’t mean to put us in the past.” He pointed at the ship. “That thing has temperal tiggers and it didn’t react correctly when I tried to move us.”

“Take us back then.”

Junior shook his head. “I don’t want to land us some when wrong again.”

“What do we do?” Molly dropped off the edge of the biobed and landed with a thud.

“If I can map the temperal signatures in there I should be able to compansate for them when I shift us.”

“Sooo, we need Engineering?”

“Yes.”

Molly lead them towards the Jeffery’s tube nearest them. “We’ll have to stay out of the hallways. Can you convince the computer not to tell anyone were we are?”

“Easy.” Junior crawled in behind her and they let her lead.

****

Captain Picard glared at Q and Lady Q when they appeared on his bridge. “You had a child?”

Lady Q perused her lips and stared at Q. “It was his fault.”

Q whipped around to yell at her. “My fault? I’m not the one causing suns to blow up and pissing off Starfleet.”

“No. You just bow to the whims of a bitchy starship Captain as though she knows more than the entire Continuum.”

“Bitchy?” Q laughed. “She’s just mad about the trip home. I never did understand why clearance couldn’t be granted for the ship to be plopped back in the Alpha Quadrant.”

Lady Q raised an eyebrow at him. “You are an idiot.”

An alarm started beeping and Q smirked. “Well, I’m not the one that just lost the children, am I?”

Picard turned in his chair and Worf was shaking his head, turning back Data was already reporting that the internal senors were no longer picking up a tiny warp signature. “Q.”

Q smiled at him. “Isn’t Q Junior great?”

Lady Q flopped down into one of the jump seats. “I can’t believe you didn’t keep a better tracker on that child.”

Q gave her a hard look. “Really? Is yours doing any better?”

“No.” She refused to look at anyone as she spoke.

Picard had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at them. “Where were they last seen?”

Dr. Crusher exited the turbolift. “Captain...” She stopped, tilted her head, and started forward again. “You!”

Q put on an innocent face. “Who, me?”

“Molly says the toy ship she’s clutching is really the actual _Enterprise_. She says you told her that.”

Q shrugged. “It wasn’t my fault.”

Lady Q snorted. “Really?”

Q shook a finger at her. “You try to move a time affected ship carrying one person from the Nexus and one from the Guardian of Forever after they just picked up a person who should be dead.”

She blinked. “You really are stupid, aren’t you?” She stood up and produced a small device from a pocket that Picard was sure hadn’t existed a second ago. “Call and ask for help.”

Q crossed his arms. “No.”

“No?” Lady Q flipped the device open. “Fine, I’ll call.”

Q lounged for her. “No!”

Lady Q tried to twist out of Q’s path and tripped over Picard’s foot. They went down in a tangle partway in his lap and Picard grabbed for the device. Next thing he knew they were elsewhere. Again.

Picard stood up, brushed himself off, and stood watching the two Q fight. They were losing their forms as they fought each other. The light became too bright to look at so he turned and surveyed their surroundings.

“Where are we?” Picard didn’t turn as he asked it, because that wouldn’t help get him an answer. The sounds of fighting behind him eased off. “I only ask because I would like to know if that Cube can see us.”

Hanging in the empty void above them was a Borg Cube. Picard could see it wasn’t moving and he wasn’t getting any odd feelings from it. Q appeared beside him, disleveled and with a tear in a version of uniform Picard hadn’t seen before.

“Oh, that.” Q turned Picard away from it with a tug on one shoulder. “The Continuum is using it for research.”

Picard couldn’t see Lady Q anywhere. “Would calling for help work?”

Q sighed and sat down on a chair that appeared under him as he sat. “No. It wouldn’t help.” Q gestured that the empty space beside himself. “Sit, Picard.”

Mentally rolling his eyes, Picard started to sit on nothing and landed on a very comfortable armchair. “Q, why wouldn't having the Continuum involved help with a child Q?”

“He’s Q squared. He is more powerful than the entire Continumm combined. He just doesn’t know it yet. They, of course, don’t see it, but, well, I knew.” Q plucked at non-existent lint on the knee of his uniform. “Before Janeway convinced everyone that Junior was the way to go I knew.”

“How?”

Q frowned. “Timelines are just messy things.” He snapped his fingers and the Cube disappeared. “I saw him when he was older when i was younger once.”

Picard didn’t even try to work that one out. “Why can’t you find him on something the size of my ship?”

“Mostly I don’t want to harm the ship little Molly is carrying.”

“Are you injured?” Picard turned in his chair to face Q more.

“What?”

“You don’t usually remember anyone’s name, Q.”

“Oh.” Q rolled his eyes. “She’s carrying two Kirks, and a Guardian of Forever’s favored child of Spock.”

Picard blinked. “Ambassador Spock has a child?”

“Normally he’s dead by now, but yes.”

“You must really be desperate.”

Q huffed and swung his legs up so that they dangled over the arm of his chair. “Why do you say that?”

“You never just give me information without a fight, Q.”

“True.” Q leaned his head back against his chair. “He could rip apart the timelines if Spock’s little boy doesn’t get back where he should be. The Guardian of Forever doesn’t take threats to the boy lightly.”

“I thought Q were more powerful than the Guardian.”

Q flapped a hand. “He’s older, sort of.”

Picard rolled that idea around in his head. “Why are we still here?”

“I’m thinking.”

****

Molly slid out of the Jeffery’s tubes in the back corner of Engineering. The ship was getting heavier. “I think this isn’t good.”

Junior held a hand out towards the ship. “Oh.”

Icheb glanced out at the rest of Engineering from their hiding place. “What is it?”

“Molly, I didn’t think.”

“What?” Molly shifted and had to sit as the ship started to get even heavier.

“It has a little warp core.” Junior pointed to the core in the middle of the big room. “Big warp core.”

Molly glanced at it and back down at the ship. “If I explode, my Mom is going to kill me!”

“You aren’t going to blow up.” Junior gestured for them to stay put. “Just stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Icheb scooted closer and Molly let him help hold the _Enterprise_ upright as it started to get too heavy for her alone.

Junior came back dragging La Forge. “Please.”

La Forge’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, that’s not good.” He leaned closer as though he was peering into the ship, which Molly figured he probably was. “That’s odd.” La Forge pulled back slightly and reached down to lift her and the ship up together. “We have to move away from the warp core now.”

Junior grabbed Icheb’s arm and laid a hand on La Forge overtop of his hand on Molly. The world wrenched sideways and they were suddenly standing in front of two chairs in the middle of nothing.

“Dad!”

Q jumped up from his chair and did a little shimmy. “It worked!”

Junior huffed. “Well, it certainly won’t work a second time.”

Q shrugged. “Its the Nexus energy. Stupid thing messes with everything.” Q moved closer and Molly tightened her hold on the ship. Q tapped the side of La Forge’s visor, causing him to flinch back. “You find him yet?”

La Forge turned his head towards Q. “You’re saying what I saw was right? Data’s on that tiny ship?”

Picard shot up from his chair. “You pulled Data off the bridge as well?”

Q rolled his eyes. “No.” He gestured down himself at his unirform. “Keep up, Captain. We’re talking a Data from this uiforms’ era.” Q titled his head. “Of course, by the time Spock’s boy gets him back to the future, Data will probably be dead.”

La Forge gently sat Molly down before advancing on Q. “Get him out of there!”

“I can’t.”

Molly watched the adults freeze, staring at Q. “Why not?”

Q looked down at her. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Molly sighed and turned to Junior. “Why not?”

Junior shrugged. “Q have trouble with energy combinations that cross the Nexus with things older than they are.”

“It can be..tricky.” Q flapped a hand at Junior. “Even you have trouble.”

“Only when I don’t know what’s involved.” Junior gazed at the ship. “Why’d you make them small?”

“Side effect. That stupid android still had traces of the radiation from that ship he blew up to save Picard’s ship.”

Junior tilted his head as he moved to view the ship from a different angle. “If he blew up how’d he end up with Zar in the first place?”

“The Guardian of Forever has a soft spot for that Vulcan.”

Molly leaned away as Junior leaned in. “Can it just be fixed?”

Q bent over to lean in as well. “What do you think?”

Junior straightened up. “Time to quit playing.” He smiled at Q and waved his hand.

Molly squeaked and fell forward for a moment as the ship disappeared from her arms and she found herself on the floor surrounded by adults she knew from her school lessons. The only adult she didn’t know from pictures knelt down beside her.

“Hi.”

She let him help her up. “Hello.”

He smiled a little, which was odd since he looked Vulcan. Maybe he was Romulan.

“I’m Zar.”

“Molly O’Brien.” She held her hand up and tried to force it into the ta’al. She frowned and as she started to reach up with the other hand to fix it, he gently pushed her arm down.

“That’s okay. I know what you mean, Molly.” He smiled at her. “You did really well. Your parents will be so proud of you.”

She beamed at him and started looking around at the adults. There were two different Kirks. “Why is that Captain Kirk on the wrong ship?”

The adults near them turned and looked. Captain Picard stepped closer and the wrong Captain Kirk, too old for the first _Enterprise_ cocked his head.

“I know you.” His brow creased. “I think I do.”

Captain Picard looked towards Q. “I’ve never met him, Q.”

Q shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, that depends on what time we’re discussing. You don’t ever grow hair, just bald, bald, bald.”

Captain Picard grabbed Q’s uniform front. “I am losing patience, Q.” He shook Q once, hard. “Where is Data?”

“Engineering.” Zar stood and moved closer. “Scotty has been trying to figure out how to fix him.”

Molly could see La Forge shift. “Can we see him? I want to met Scotty when he’s not old.” She ignored the looks the adults exchanged as she ran over and grabbed La Forge’s hand. “Come on, come on. I know the layout by heart. Dad likes the ships that have the name before ours.”

She smiled up at the right Captain Kirk as she pulled La Forge past him. “You’re the greatest starship Captain ever. Captain Picard is only second because you brought whales back to Earth.”

She let La Forge pick her up part way down the corridor.

****

Molly sat on a console and swung her legs as La Forge tried to fix Data without the right tools. Scotty and La Froge were arguing loudly.

Icheb leaned against the console next to her. Junior was poking at a bit of Data that they’d removed to get at the leak Data had. Molly watched as Data twitched while they kept right on arguing above him.

Icheb was rubbing his elbow where he held his own arm. “He isn’t part of the Collective, right?”

Molly shook her head. “No. He helped save Captain Picard from the Collective before.”

“Oh.” Icheb hitched himself up onto the console beside her. “Is that why Captain Picard backed away from me?”

“Before I was born he was kidnapped and the Borg assim..assimul...”

“Assimilated him?”

“Yeah, that.” Molly sighed. “Mom said we almost lost the ship getting him back and getting away.” She tilted her head. “Dad said it was because of Q that we ended up there in the first place.”

Junior settled next to them. “Dad caused the Borg, but I don’t think he meant to.”

Molly stared at him. “What?”

“Dad caused the damage to the Voyager probe because of an asteroid he moved to save Mom hit another asteroid before it hit Earth.” Junior held out a hand and made a small picture appear above his palm. “He saved Mom, killed the dinosaurs, and later the asteroid that had been knocked off course hit the Voyager probe.”

The wrong version of Captain Kirk came to stand near them. “And the probe changed over time.”

“Yeah.” Junior gestured at Data. “It made the beginning of what became the Borg and they, well, they don’t care about anything outside of the Collective.” Junior leaned towards her. “Don’t tell Dad, but I think he feels a little guilty about it.”

Molly didn’t voice her thought that Q never understood guilt. Instead she slipped down from the console and went over to the wrong Kirk. “I know how you met Captain Picard.”

He knelt down in front of her, but he grimiced as his joints protested, she could hear the creaking. She pulled him to a chair and got him to sit in that. Then she climbed up into his lap and sat on the arm of the chair.

“How did I met him? I can’t really remember.”

“You saved the _Enterprise-D_ for long enough that when we crashed we lost just 18 people.”

“You were aboard?”

Molly smiled. “Yes. I was born on the ship. When we crashed it was really scary, but I knew that Captain Picard would keep us safe. You helped him and he said you died, but Guinan said you were and weren’t dead. She said it was complicated.” She patted his shoulder. “Ambasador Spock came while we were stuck on the planet waiting for transports to arrive. He was really sad, but, you know, not, because he’s Vulcan.”

He patted her back as he sort of smiled. “Thank you, Molly.”

****

“I can’t fix him here, Captain.”

Captain Picard was ready to punch Q. “And you’re certain he isn’t our Data?”

“Certain.” La Forge shifted something inside of Data and Picard felt an urge to grimace. “He has modifications Data and I have only discussed as theory.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

La Forge nodded and turned back to Data.

Moving over to the children, Picard found Molly regaling the older version of Captain Kirk with stories of things Picard had supposedly done. Of course, he remembered none of the things she talked about, which meant they all had to be future time from his present. He was beginning to really hate time travel.

****

Amanda led the children to seats at the conference table. Captain Kirk had be adamant they not be on the bridge when Q attempted to move them back to Captain Picard’s ship. Amanda thought perhaps he was worried that they’d end up somewhere worse than being toy sized.

Zar sat down on the other side of Molly from Icheb. Amanda wanted to ask about the metal bits that showed on the side of the boy’s face, but she thought it wouldn’t be very nice. From what Spock had said there were more time points represented on the ship right now than was healthy for anyone. And if the future involved implants that showed she didn’t think she wanted to hear about it.

She sat down and they waited. And waited. Icheb jerked slightly once and then went still again. Junior got bored quickly and started playing with his chair. Molly curled up and fell asleep. Amanda watched Zar alternate between watching the children and focusing on the emotions he could feel coming from the bridge.

Alarms went off and scared Molly awake and she started to cry. Amanda gathered her up and soothed her as Junior got up and paced.

“Why can’t I help?” He turned and paced back the other way. “I’m more powerful than Dad.”

Zar glanced at her and then focused on Junior. “It isn’t about your power. Fathers are always trying to protect their children. Yours just happens to be a little obnoxious sometimes.”

Junior flopped into a chair beside Icheb. “All the time.”

Icheb turned to the door just before it swooshed open. Amanda wondered if he heard something, or had just known.

Captain Picard came in already in an argument with the older Captain Kirk. Amanda listened until there was a lull.

“What is going on?”

Captain Picard sighed. “We didn’t end up where Q thought we would come out at.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “We are fairly certain we are in the right time, just the wrong place in space.”

Amanda raised her eyebrows. “Well?”

“We’re in Romulan space.”

She tightened her hold on Molly. “How far in?”

“Too far.” Captain Kirk glared at Picard. “He says we should make for a planet close to here that’s even deeper in.”

Captain Picard sighed. “It is part of Ambassador Spock’s network. He may even be there.”

Amanda swallowed. “My husband is deceased, correct?”

He glanced down and then after taking a breath, he looked at her squarely. “Yes, ma’am. Ambassador Sarek died at home.”

She nodded because she had thought as much when she’d calculated the time frames for how far forward they were from where she’d been. “And I died in a shuttle accident, perhaps?”

Captain Picard blinked. “Yes, ma’am.”

Molly patted her hand and Amanda smiled down at her. “I’m fine, dear.”

“He loved you very much, ma’am.” Captain Picard reached out and took her hand. “I know because he melded with me once to allow him to work through an illness.”

She patted his hand. “I always knew that I was loved. My boy, though, sometimes I think he wasn’t as sure as I could be.”

Captain Picard nodded. “I carried a message to him for Ambassador Sarek.”

She smiled. “Good.”

****

They slid into a low orbit around a planet Zar had never heard of before Picard mentioned it. There was arguing over Q trying again or letting Junior try to move them, arguing over wether bothering Ambassador Spock’s network would result in anything useful, they even argued over who would go down to the planet.

Zar could feel how certain Picard was that Amabassador Spock was on that planet. Even the older version of Jim was looking more certain now that they were actually in orbit. La Forge and Scotty were arguing over the transporter controls as those choosen to go down stepped up onto the pads.

The older Jim nodded to his younger self, who wasn’t pleased to be staying onboard. Picard stood on his own pad as Zar stepped past him to one of the rearmost pads. They rasied the cowls of their newly replicated robes as Scotty elbowed La Forge out of his way.

The cave they materilized in was fairly dark, but a guard drew a weapon until Picard snapped a phrase in Romulan at him. The guard froze for a moment, titled his head, and moved a step closer.

“That pharse is old.”

Picard spread his hands. “It is the only one given to me.”

The guard backed away from them with the weapon still rasied, but not actively pointing at them. “You will wait.”

They sat down on crates as the wait dragged out. Eventually, two robed figures appeared from the mouth of the tunnel. Zar could feel it before the cowls were lowered. He pushed back his cowl as Ambassador Spock pushed back his.

“Zar?” The Ambassador moved closer and paused as he came within a few meters of the older JIm. Spock blinked.

Slowly Jim stood up and pushed back his cowl. “Spock.”

Breaking into a true grin, Spock grabbed up Jim into a hug tight enough Zar could hear Jim grunt. Picard stepped closer to Zar and smiled softly as they watched Jim pound on Spock’s back and the hug linger on.

When Spock finally released Jim he turned and pulled Zar into a hug. Jim was smiling widely at them as Zar squeezed his father tightly. It was odd to find Spock looking so old, but also so much the same.

Spock released him and Zar stepped back to watch Spock shake hands with Picard as the Captain explained their current problem. He told Spock the date they needed for the _Enterprise-D_ and they all watched Spock frown.

“Captain, that is not today’s date. That is four point one standard days from now.”

Picard rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Q seems to think the various energy signatures are interfering with his abilites.”

Spock’s eyebrow rose to dissappear under his bangs. “Q readily admitted to an error on his part?”

“It wasn’t readily by any means.”

****

Bones watched this old guy that moved like Spock nearly have a heart attack when he saw Icheb. It took the Ambassador a long time of staring at the boy to decide it was alright to leave him be. The first moment he saw Amanda, Bones thought their Spock was going to melt through the floor in embarassment. _No feelings, my ass._ Bones forced down his urge to elbow Spock as the old man version literally picked Amanda up off her feet with his hug.

The smile was freaky too. Bones could only remember seeing that smile once, when Spock found he hadn’t killed Jim on Vulcan. Seeing it on a winkled old version of Spock was making Bones’ neck hairs stand on end.

Amanda laughed and smacked the Ambassador on the shoulder as he sat her back on her feet.

“Mother.”

She smiled and him and turned to include the other Spock, who Bones could swear was blushing in the tips of his ears.

Bones broke it up by demanding a physical of the Ambassador. That got him a smile too, though much more subdued. He practically dragged the Ambassador out of the transporter room. The old Kirk followed closely and Bones tried to ignore the Ambassador telling them all about an Admrial McCoy. Like he’d ever allow himself to be pormoted that damn high up.

He got them to sit on a biobed even though it meant they were sitting on the same one. Bones still had the old Kirk’s readings loaded, so he fiddled with the controls and watched Spock’s readings settle out of the jumble of them both together.

“Why exactly does Captain Picard think picking up you is going to help with this fiasco?”

“Time travel has become something of a speciality of mine, Doctor.”

He huffed and ran a scanner over a spot in Spock’s left shoulder he didn’t like the look of. “You’re old.”

“Why do you always insist on stating the obvious?”

Jim leaned back on one hand and grinned at them. “He knows it annoys you, Spock.”

Bones shrugged and put away his equipment. “I don’t like the look of your left shoulder.”

That innocent remark started a shit storm of an argument between the two old men about Spock’s health and safety which devolved into a near shouting match over Kirk’s sort-of-dying.

Bones backed out of his own Sickbay as quietly as he could. He went to the nearest wall unit and called Jim to let him know he needed to come down and help break up the old guys.

****

Captain Kirk’s headache was only getting worse as Picard, La Forge, Spock, and the Ambassador taxed the main computer to its limits as they tried to figure out how to compensate for the various factors making Q’s bending of space and time to move them so unpredictable.

He supposed he should be happy they were closer to getting the android to the right time, but it seemed that his ship was full of people arguing. He’d listened to the Ambassador Spock and his older self argue, him screaming and Spock using his normal volume. They kept going back and forth over their deaths. Spock dying for Jim’s ship and him dying for a ship not even his.

While he knew the risks of their job and loved the adventure, knowing Spock would die and he wouldn’t be able to do anything, but stand by watching it happen dampened the enjoyment of everything.

Standing, Kirk slipped out of the room and ignored the fact that the others didn’t even look up as he went. He wanted to pace, but instead he went to the observation deck where they’d moved the children.

Molly lit up when she saw him. “Captain Kirk!”

The other two children turned to face him too. He smiled and sat down next to Molly. “Hello.”

He found her just a little intimidating. She clambered right into his lap as soon as he was sitting. She chattered at him about how great a starship captain he had been. While it was a little odd to hear it all in the past tense and filtered through a school class program breakdown, it was gratifying to know people remembered their mission.

She tilted her head back to look up at him as she wound down about him _stealing_ his ship to save Spock. “Captain Kirk? Why doesn’t anyone just let Junior try moving us?”

Kirk looked over at Junior. “You really think you can get us back to Captain Picard’s ship without landing in, say, Klingon space?” He thought for a moment. “And without being toy sized?”

The kid grinned and flexed his hands. “Oh, I can do better than that.”

“Q-ball.” Icheb looked worried.

He didn’t have time to object before the alarms were sounding and he was gently, but hastily putting Molly down to get to the bridge.

****

Ambassador Spock blinked as he went from arguing the variables for the time effect of the Nexus on Q’s powers to being in the cave they’d transported to the _Enterprise_ from. He folded his hands into his robe.

The time arguments had given him an idea for the possible restart of the Romulan sun. He would have to refine the theory before anything could be attempted. He strode towards the tunnel. He would find Jim again. It was only a matter of time.

****

Riker didn’t even have time to call an alert when the Captain and Lt. La Forge appeared on their bridge.

“Captain?”

Captain Picard turned around, looked around the bridge, and then moved towards Data as he spoke. “Scan for the warp core signature of the _Enterprise_ NCC-1701.”

Riker edged towards the Captain as he looked Data over carefully. La Forge was peering at Data too, which wasn’t reassuring.

The Captain retreated to his ready room with La Forge and Data in tow when they didn’t find any sign of another ship.

****

Molly glared at Junior. “What’d you do?”

With a frown, Junior wiggled his fingers at Icheb. “I think Itchy threw me off.”

“I did not.”

Molly rolled her eyes. “He did not.”

Junior sighed. “Fine, fine. I got caught on a bit of something sticking out of that lump of energy tagging along.” He waved a hand. “Come out, come out.”

Kes became visible. “Captain Janeway will not be pleased you stole a starship.”

“You messed up what I was doing.”

“Go back to _Voyager_.”

Icheb grabbed Junior’s elbow and spoke quietly in his ear. Molly tugged on Kes’ pantleg until she looked down.

“Can I go with them?”

Kes smiled down at her. “No dear, I’m sorry. Your parents would miss you if you went with them.”

Molly rubbed her eyes and yawned. “I miss them now. I’m tired.”

Kes bent down and picked Molly up. “Where are you from?”

Icheb pulled away from Junior. “The space station.”

“DS9.” Junior came closer and touched Molly’s leg. “You had fun, right?”

Molly smiled. “Lots and lots.” She tucked her head against Kes’ chest. “Will Data get home too?”

Kes glanced at the boys. “I thought he belonged to a different _Enterprise_.”

Icheb shrugged. “There’s one here that’s supposed to be in the future. He twitches if I get too close, but no one is sure why.” Icheb touched Molly’s hair before turning to Junior. “Can you get it right this time, Q-ball?”

Kes raised an eyebrow at them.

Junior bit his lip. “Actually if I’m going to put our ship back in the middle of that battle we were in before DS9 was suddenly under us I need to eat or something.”

Kes smiled at them. “Ask Q for help. I’m taking Molly home and I expect to find Captain Janeway’s ship where it should be by your bedtime.”

Junior stuck his tongue out at her back as Kes dissappeared with Molly.

Icheb watched them go. “I didn’t think she could do that.”

“She’s growing.” Junior pulled on Icheb’s arm and hurried them to Captain Kirk’s bridge.

****

“I didn’t do it!” Q throw up his hands. “I am not always at fault, you know.”

Zar rubbed his ear. “Stop yelling.”

Junior and Icheb arrived and Q rounded on Junior. They were yelling at each other within a few sentences. They kept it up until Amanda flicked Q’s ear.

“Owww!” Q gripped his ear and pulled away from her. “What was that for?”

Amanda stood glaring at him. “You once played a word game with my son for the fate of Earth. I should do much worse to you.” She wagged a forefinger at him. “You will cease acting like a child and you will either fix this or ask for help.” She looked down her nose at him. “Now.”

Q sighed. “Fine.” He snapped his fingers. “There. All fixed.”

****

Lady Q sighed. “Idiots.” She helped it along a bit. Shoving around time as the Guardian of Forever shoved back, trying to reach into the movement. “Stupid.” Finding her phone, Lady Q dialed the Continuum.

****

Captain Kirk blinked and tired to remember what he’d just been doing. He was sure it had been important...He shook his head as Uhura’s station beeped.

“Captain, we....I think...” She turned towards him and he leaned forward because she looked like she was in shock. “The computer says we’ve lost four days.” She blinked at him. “I don’t remember anything, sir. Well, we were doing something important...Maybe.”

Turning back the other way, Kirk was just in time to see Spock’s face smooth back out into his normal calm. “What do you think, Mr. Spock?”

****

Amanda smacked Q as soon as the world held still again.

“Good one!”

“Mr. Pairs!”

“Sorry, Captain.” He didn’t sound sorry at all.

A short woman came forward. “Q. What is going on?”

Q rubbed his jaw and then turned, smiling widely at the everyone. “Captain Janeway!” He grabbed up her hand and kiss the back of it as he bowed. “You look positively...”

“Q!” Captain Kirk was holding his arm around his middle and dripping blood on the deck.

“Ahhh...Yes, about that.” Q dropped Janeway’s hand and moved towards Junior and Icheb. “You’d better explain.” Then he snapped his fingers and the bridge was empty of people that weren’t from their ship.

Junior smiled at his godmother even though she was angry. “I didn’t start it.”

She crossed her arms.

He crossed his arms. “I even protected the _Enterprise_ from being detected by Romulans.”

Her eyebrow went up.

He hated the eyebrow. He sighed. “How long am I grounded for?”

She smiled at him, which had to be worse than the eyebrow.

****

Lady Q smirked as Q glared at her. “You really are stupid.”

“He’s required.”

“He’s dead. He just doesn’t seem to know it.”

Between them, on the ledge of the Chrysler Building lay Data.

Q sighed. “Look, we’re all Q here.” He glanced down at Data. “Besides him, of course.” He went back to glaring at her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She smiled. “Testing the baby.” She flicked a hand at Data. “He doesn’t matter.”

“Have you hit your huge head somewhere?” Q advanced on her and pointed down at Data as he yelled. “He’s supposed to be commanding an _Enterprise_ in the future! You can’t just let him blow himself up, willy-nilly. It messes up my prefect timing on something important.”

“Oh, please. That human with the eyes could have just rebuilt him.”

Q threw up his hands. “You really need to pay more attention to humans if you want to predict what they are going to do next.”

“Oh, right.” She shook her head at him. “Like you could predict anything a human would decide to do!”

Q smiled. “Alright. You have a deal.”

“What...”

“Data’s life for a predication.” Q rubbed his hands together. “I couldn’t have thought of something better myself.”

Lady Q was still shaking her head as Q snapped his fingers.

****

Kes settled Molly into her bed and pulled the covers over her. Molly stirred, mumbling before stilling with a sigh. “Remember to ask if Q is powerful enough.”

Backing out carefully, Kes double checked that everything was where it went across the station. Odo watched her come across the Promenade. “Sir.”

Odo blinked at her. “You don’t belong here. I need to sound an intruder alarm.”

Kes patted his arm. “You can sleep, Changeling. I promise everything will be alright.” She eased him down to the decking.

Garak was the only other one on this level still resisting. Kes helped him slide down the wall nearest his back until he was sitting.

“Sleep, please.”

“No.” He pulled at her. “No, please. Where’s Julian?”

She frowned. “I’ll bring him to you. Alright?”

****

Amanda tried to ignore that they were someplace with no real references and that they’d lost Data along the way. Jim was bleeding and that took precedent over that huge _thing_ hanging above their heads.

Zar kept glancing up at it as he tried to asses Jim. “What hurts?”

Jim grimaced. “Everything.”

The nothing changed and suddenly there was a version of a courtroom around them. Zar helped Jim drop into a nearby chair. A moment later Q, Data, and the woman Q appeared.

“Ah! Here we go!” Q smiled. “Go ahead. Predict her!” Q pointed at Amanda.

The woman Q sighed. “I didn’t agree to play your game.”

“Of course you did.” Q walked up to Amanda and slung an arm over her shoulder. He leaned in and along the empty link where Sarek should be she heard a faint whisper. She cocked her head and it repeated barefly loud enough for her to make out.

She pulled away and shoved on Q. “Put everyone back where they go!”

“Well, I could have predicted that, Q.”

“Ah! But you didn’t.” Q wondered away from them and over towards Data. “Come on, predict something.”

Rolling her eyes, the woman Q tilted her head and approached Amanda. “This one?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.” She turned and smirked at Q. “Well?”

He smiled back. “Is that your final answer?” He turned towards Amanda. “That was her final answer. This is the question: If you could have Sarek alive, healthy, without messing up history, would you?”

“What’s the catch?” Zar glared at them both from where Kirk was gasping.

“Data blows up like he was supposed to.”

Amanda blinked and then she smiled. Tests. She was good at tests. “And what do I get for answering?”

The woman Q looked perplexed.

Q smiled. “Anything within the Continuum’s power.”

“Alright.” Never so actually aware of the loss of her link to Sarek as she was now, Amanda lifted her chin a little. “No, I would not.”

Q crowed and pointed at Lady Q. “See! You don’t know humans at all.”

She pouted prettily and looked up through her lashes at Amanda. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to change your answer?”

Amanda raised her eyebrows. “Never.”

With a long suffering sigh, the woman Q disappeared.

Amanda pointed upwards. “What is that?”

Q glanced up. “Oh, nothing to worry about. They can’t see us.” He did a little dance. “I knew I liked you.” He moved towards her and Amanda kicked him in the shin. “Ow! What was that for?”

Amanda narrowed her eyes at him. “You very well know what for, Q.”

He sighed. “I always thought your boy’s lack of humor came from his father, but I’m starting to think it comes from you too.”

Before she could kick him again, Q snapped his fingers.

****

Captain Picard lowered his glass from toasting to lost friends and waited. He could see La Forge waiting for it too. Everyone started to break apart to talk when there was a flash and Data sat on the floor as Picard’s feet blinking, a bow perched on his head.

“Data!”

Data blinked and looked up at Picard, the bow sliding off his head to the floor. “Captain. Premission to come aboard?”

He crouched down and checked the side of Data’s face. There were no injuries. “Of course, Mr. Data. Are you fully functional?”

Data looped his arm around La Forge as he wrapped himself around the android. “Yes, Captain. The Q were very accommodating once Lady Amanda began yelling.” Data blinked up at them. “The ship?”

Picard smiled. “The ship is well, Mr. Data.”

They helped him up and Riker approached as everyone gathered around Data.

“You told him, sir?”

He smiled. “I didn’t know when exactly, just that his skin tone was different as was the uniform.”

“Isn’t that cheating?” Riker grinned at him.

Picard smiled. “When Q is involved cheating is in the rules.”

****

Zar flopped down in his pristine meadow and stared up at the sky. “Finally.”

A young man in a Starfleet uniform from Captain Picard’s era appeared over him. “Hello.”

With a jerk, Zar sat up. “Uhm, hello?”

The young man sat down. “I don’t suppose you remember me? Junior?”

Zar blinked slowly. “Oh. No one would forget you.” He gestured towards his city. “I’ve only just gotten home from adventuring with you.”

“I know.” Junior plucked at the plants near his knee. “I thought you might like to know what happened to Amanda and that prat of a Captain.”

Last that Zar had seen Grandmother had still been yelling after Data had been sent home. He’d thought that perhaps the Guardian would show him how it had turned out. “If you want to tell me, sure.”

Junior smiled and flopped down onto his back. “You know your Dad and that prat were together?”

“Please stop calling Jim a prat.” He now knew exactly how his father had felt any time he’d done something exasperating.

“Fine, fine. Do you want to know this or not?”

Zar laid back down. “Go on.”

“In an effort to alleviate the Lady Amanda’s anger at the Continuum they offered to put her where she could have a living Sarek, Spock, and even another Spock.” Junior lolled his head towards him. “Don’t ask.”

“Wasn’t going to.”

“Anyway, they talked her into taking the gasping pra...er, Captain Kirk.”

Zar could feel his muscles relaxing somewhat. “She’ll still die before him. Again.”

Junior hunched his shoulders. “About that.”

“What’d you do?”

“I might have synced them up so that she’ll age slower and they’ll die together. How mad do you think she’ll be?”

With a smile, Zar pillowed his head with his arm. “Maybe you should visit and find out.” He gesured with his free hand. “What’d you do with the extra ship parts?”

“I put them back into the explosion they came from.”

“Is Data going to be alright?”

“Grew on you, didn’t he? Like a fungus.” Junior folded his hands on his chest. ‘My father likes fungus.” He turned his head back to stare up at the sky. “Do you think my father likes fungus more than me?”

Zar closed his eyes, counted his breathes, and finally sighed. “I’m sure he loves you very much. More than fungus.”

“Yes, but how do you know?”

“When they care about you, they fuss.” Zar rolled onto his side. “They don’t want you put in danger or risking yourself if they could do it instead.”

Junior was looking at him now. “Right, exactly. I could do it though, all on my own.”

“He knows that, but he still worries. Parents just want the best for you. Unless they’ve evil, or possessed, or caught in that Borg thing...”

Junior swatted at the ground near Zar. “Stop it.” He stood up. “I have to go. I’m a spoiled brat for milliena yet.” He presented the ta’al to Zar. “Whatever they say. And when they ask...I was never here.”

Zar laughed as Junior popped out. He shook his head and got up to go back to his people.

****

Kes pulled Julian along. “Garak was asking for you.”

“What’s going...on?” Julian wasn’t exactly steady. Something big had happened, he was sure of it, but he couldn’t remember exactly. Something with Molly? He needed to check on her...

Kes tripped him so that Julian fell next to Garak. They leaned into each other. “Listen to me, now. When you wake up tell the Q where Junior went.”

Garak stared at her. “We don’t know that.” He patted Julian’s hip. “Do we, Doctor?”

Julian’s eyelids were drooping. “No.”

Kes smiled down at them. “Yes, you do. They went to visit Captain Picard.”

“Picard?”

“Yes, Captain Picard. Remember to tell the Q in the morning.”

She faded out of sight and watched time pass until Molly slipped into the turbolift with Odo and Garak. With a light touch to the right relay and the turbolift ground to a halt. Kes smiled and drifted away to stay close to _Voyager_ so that she’d go home with them.

****

After they were freed from the turbolift, Garak let Julian lead him to sit on a bench and walk him through breathing exercises. He hated tight spaces. He felt the station shudder a little and forced down his lingering discomfort. He had something he needed to tell someone.

****

The Guardian of Forever nudged the Nexus to cough up the last bit of Kirk. It wouldn't do to have him scattered about so much. It was bad enough that Q had touched favored children...The Guardian perked up as his favorite approached.

“Greetings, Guardian of Forever. I am Commander Spock, First Officer and...”

“You are known, always. Ask your question.”

“Is there anyone else on board the _Enterprise_ that remembers?”

“No.” The Guardian of Forever changed the view to show the favorrite child’s child. “Remembrance is limited.”

“Why only to me of the entire ship?”

“You alone are special.”

The favored child settled on a rock nearby. “My son, Zar, has informed me that you speak often of my life to him.”

“Favored children are well cared for.”

“Knowing my fate affects how I approach every dangerous situation until those events come to pass.”

“Reckless behaviour is common place.”

The favorite child stood and catiously stepped closer. “Why did you not put us out at a point in Zar’s life when he was younger? You are quite capable of precision.”

“The needs of the favorite’s child were given precedent.”

“Favorite?”

The Gaurdain of Forever stayed silent, smiling in his own way.

***

Julian sat Molly in his desk chair and started to get his scanner when he remembered he had to tell someone something important.

He and Garak ended up in the same lift and they blurted something to the Q arguing with Captain Sisko. There was a blinding flash of light...

Julian sat up and blinked. He was propped against Garak on the Promande. “How odd.” He pulled out his scanner and started checking himself. Beside him Garak made a small growling type noise.

“I had a horrible dream.”

Julian snorted. “I assure you mine was worse. The Q appeared it in.”

Garak started to say something, but closed his mouth. Instead he used Julian to lever himself onto his feet. “I’m sure it was horrible. I do beilive that ship lost last month, what is its name?”

“ _Voyager_.”

“Yes, that.” Garak started walking and Julian fell in step with them. “I think they’ll make it home.”

****


End file.
